Classic Outlook "EMAIL FORWARDING IS ON" bar: how to keep forwarding and remove the bar
Since around August 2026, classic Outlook (Microsoft 365) has shown a brown bar across the message list: "EMAIL FORWARDING IS ON — You are forwarding your email to …" with a Manage Rules button. There's no setting or registry key to dismiss it. The usual advice is to turn the forwarding off, which doesn't help if the forwarding is deliberate. This behavior disappeared for a while but has recently returned. I have several Inbox rules that forward mail from specific senders to a family member. They have to run server-side, because some must work while my PC is off, and I need to keep my own copy. Here's what I tried: - Change the rules to "on this computer only": bar stays - Change the rules from Forward to Redirect: bar stays - Disable the forwarding rules: bar goes, but so does the forwarding - Replace the Inbox rules with an Exchange mail flow (transport) rule: !!! bar goes, forwarding still works !!! The bar appears for any Inbox rule that forwards or redirects mail. A mail flow rule runs in Exchange Online before the message reaches my mailbox, and the bar trigger apparently doesn't look at it. Requirement: you need Exchange admin rights on your Microsoft 365 tenant. That's typically the case for small-business or custom-domain subscriptions where you're the admin. Home and Outlook.com accounts don't have mail flow rules. Steps (Exchange Online PowerShell) 1. Connect: Connect-ExchangeOnline -UserPrincipalName <your-address> 2. List your forwarding rules and their conditions: Get-InboxRule | ? {$_.ForwardTo -or $_.RedirectTo -or $_.ForwardAsAttachmentTo} | fl Name,Enabled,From,FromAddressContainsWords,SubjectContainsWords,RedirectTo,ForwardTo 3. Create one mail flow rule that covers them. Here the conditions are by sender, using regex patterns, and all patterns in the list are OR'd: New-TransportRule -Name 'Copy to Family' ` -SentTo '<your-address>' -FromAddressMatchesPatterns '@sender1\.com$','^alerts@sender2\.com$' ` -BlindCopyTo '<recipient-address>' -SentTo limits the rule to mail addressed to you. -BlindCopyTo delivers a copy that shows the original sender, like a redirect, and you keep the original. The Exchange admin center also has a GUI for this, under Mail flow → Rules. 4. Check the rule order: Get-TransportRule | ft Name,Priority,State,StopRuleProcessing If an existing rule above yours has StopRuleProcessing = True, yours will never run. A common example is a "bypass spam filtering" rule with no conditions. New rules are added at the bottom, so move yours up: Set-TransportRule 'Copy to Family' -Priority 0 5. Wait up to 30 minutes. A new or changed mail flow rule doesn't take effect right away. Then test by adding a temporary sender pattern, such as a personal address you can send from, and check the trace: Get-MessageTraceV2 -RecipientAddress '<recipient-address>' -StartDate (Get-Date).AddHours(-1) -EndDate (Get-Date) | ft Received,SenderAddress,Subject,Status -EndDate is required whenever you use -StartDate. Times are shown in UTC. Remove the test pattern afterwards with Set-TransportRule … -FromAddressMatchesPatterns …. 6. In classic Outlook, go to File → Manage Rules & Alerts, untick the old forwarding/redirect rules, click Apply, and restart Outlook. After the above, the bar was gone, the forwarding kept working, and my other rules, including "run a script" rules, were not affected. Tips - Before you change anything, back up your rules: Manage Rules & Alerts → Options → Export Rules. - Edit the Inbox rules in classic Outlook rather than Outlook on the web or PowerShell. Editing them elsewhere can remove client-only rules. - From now on, add or remove senders on the mail flow rule. Any new forwarding or redirect Inbox rule brings the bar back.
New Outlook - PST file cannot reopen and PST search not working
Hi, Issue 1 – One PST file cannot be reopened I have two PST files, PST A and PST B. PST A can currently be opened and browsed normally in New Outlook. PST B was previously opened in New Outlook and I was able to browse the folders and emails. However, after I closed/removed PST B from New Outlook, I am now unable to open/add the same PST file again. The PST file can still be opened using Classic Outlook. If the PST format is unsupported or too old for New Outlook, why was New Outlook able to open and browse it previously before I closed it? Could this be related to the PST format (ANSI vs Unicode), PST corruption, or a limitation/bug in New Outlook? Issue 2 – Unable to search emails stored in PST For PST A, I can open the PST and manually browse and read the emails in New Outlook. However, when I use Search, emails stored inside the PST do not appear in the search results. This is referring to searching for the email/message itself, not searching for attachments. The same PST can be searched using Classic Outlook. My understanding is that New Outlook now supports searching emails stored in PST files. Is PST search fully supported, or are there still limitations compared with Classic Outlook? I would appreciate any advice on how to troubleshoot both issues, especially whether there is a way to verify PST compatibility with New Outlook.
Microsoft Sign In Loop
I am trying to sing into Microsoft 365, but every time I do, it takes me back to the login screen. I sing in with my outlook account, but I can't reach the applications. I can sign in on the browser, but not the applications on my computer. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling M365, but the issue still persists
M365 Admin Center Global Administrator Lockout
Hello Microsoft Community, I am seeking urgent assistance and guidance regarding a critical Microsoft 365 tenant lockout that has been ongoing for several days without a resolution or proper communication from the support team. Our organization manages Microsoft 365 services for a business with more than 200 active users who depend on Microsoft 365 for their daily operations. Issue Description We have been locked out of our Microsoft 365 tenant's administrator account. This prevents us from properly managing our Microsoft 365 environment and restoring normal access to essential business services. Our business-critical data, including important documents and operational information, is stored in SharePoint. The inability to access and manage these services has significantly disrupted our business operations. Microsoft Support Ticket References We have raised multiple support tickets and followed up repeatedly, but the issue remains unresolved. Tracking ID: 2610050040001149 Tracking ID: 2610090010001066 Tracking ID: 2610050040001222 Despite these support cases and repeated follow-ups, we have not received a satisfactory resolution or a clear recovery timeline. Support Experience So Far Following a discussion with the support team, we were expecting a call to assist with unlocking the administrator account and providing a temporary password through the appropriate recovery process. However, we have not received the expected call or a meaningful update. Our main concerns are: Complete loss of access to the Microsoft 365 tenant administrator account. More than 200 users affected by the ongoing incident. Critical business data and documents stored in SharePoint. Multiple support tickets without a concrete resolution. Lack of clear communication regarding the root cause and recovery timeline. No clear escalation path or confirmation of the next recovery steps. Our Concerns We understand that technical issues can occur, but leaving a business-critical environment inaccessible for an extended period without meaningful updates is extremely concerning. We purchase Microsoft 365 licenses through a partner and expect appropriate technical support and escalation assistance when critical incidents occur. Our organization previously used Google Workspace and recommended migrating to Microsoft 365 because of its enterprise capabilities. This incident has seriously affected user confidence and business continuity. If access cannot be restored promptly, we may have to consider alternative email hosting arrangements to minimize further disruption. Request for Assistance I would appreciate guidance from Microsoft engineers, Microsoft 365 administrators, and community members who have experienced similar situations. What is the appropriate escalation process when all available tenant administrator accounts are inaccessible? How can we expedite tenant ownership verification and administrator account recovery? Is there a dedicated Microsoft team that handles critical tenant lockout incidents affecting business operations? What is the recommended recovery process when the administrator cannot access the Microsoft 365 Admin Center? How can we obtain urgent assistance when multiple support tickets and repeated follow-ups have not resulted in a clear resolution? Can the three referenced support tickets be escalated for urgent review by the appropriate Microsoft support team? We are not looking for workarounds that compromise tenant security. We need Microsoft's official recovery process to restore authorized administrative access safely. Microsoft Support Team: If any Microsoft support representatives are monitoring this community, we would appreciate your guidance on the appropriate escalation channel for this incident. We can provide additional information privately through the appropriate official channels. Thank you for your time and assistance. Any guidance that helps us restore our services and protect business continuity would be greatly appreciated. Best regards, Microsoft 365 Tenant Administrator
How to Recover Data from a Damaged or Corrupted OST File When Outlook Cannot Open It
Hi everyone, I have seen several cases where users still have an old OST file but cannot access the mailbox data inside it. This usually happens after an Outlook profile is removed, a Microsoft 365 or Exchange account is changed, a mailbox is no longer available, or the OST file becomes damaged or corrupted. One common misunderstanding is that an OST file can be opened on another computer in the same way as a PST file. However, an OST file is linked to the Outlook profile and mailbox that created it. If that connection is no longer available, Outlook may not be able to open the file normally. Before trying to recover the OST data, it is worth checking a few things: Is the original Microsoft 365 or Exchange mailbox still available? Can the Outlook profile be recreated and synchronized again? Is the issue related to the OST file itself or only the Outlook profile? Do you need the complete mailbox data or only specific folders/items? If the mailbox is still available, rebuilding the Outlook profile and allowing Outlook to create a new OST may be the better approach. However, if the mailbox no longer exists, the Outlook profile has been deleted, or the OST file is damaged and contains the only available copy of the mailbox data, recovery becomes a different process. In these situations, it is important to first check what information is still readable from the OST file. Scanning and previewing the mailbox data before export can help identify available folders, emails, attachments, contacts, and calendar items before creating a new PST file. A practical OST recovery workflow usually involves: Keeping a copy of the original OST file before making any changes. Checking whether the original mailbox can still be synchronized. Scanning the OST file to identify available mailbox items. Reviewing important folders and messages. Exporting the required data to PST. Validating the resulting PST in Outlook. A detailed overview of the OST to PST conversion process, including scanning, previewing, selecting mailbox items, and exporting recoverable data, is available here: https://www.edbmails.com/pages/ost-to-pst-converter.html One important point to remember is that recovery results depend on the condition and readability of the OST file. A conversion tool can help extract available mailbox information, but it cannot recreate data that is no longer present or readable inside the source file.Unable to Open an Old OST File After Outlook Profile or Mailbox Changes
Hi everyone, I am looking for suggestions on handling an old OST file where the original Outlook profile or mailbox is no longer available. The situation is that an OST file contains important mailbox data, but Outlook cannot open it normally after changes to the user account or profile. This can happen after a Microsoft 365 mailbox change, Exchange migration, user account removal, or when an OST file becomes damaged. Since OST files are linked to the Outlook profile and mailbox that created them, simply moving the file to another system does not always make the data accessible. Before attempting any recovery approach, I would like to understand the recommended steps: Is there any Microsoft-recommended method to access an orphaned OST file? What checks should be performed before trying to recover data from the OST? How do administrators usually handle old OST files when the original mailbox is no longer available? What is the best way to validate recovered mailbox data? I would appreciate feedback from anyone who has handled similar Outlook OST recovery scenarios after Microsoft 365 or Exchange changes.
